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US Airlines Carry 1.4% More Passengers In April

By Mia Lamar Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES U.S. airlines carried 1.4% more passengers in April compared with a year earlier, the Department of Transportation said Thursday. Passenger counts continue to grow over prior-year levels as demand for air travel rebounds. Most airlines have benefited from the trend, though rising fuel prices have forced some to raise fares. The DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said airlines carried 60.5 million passengers in April. Traffic in terms of revenue passenger miles rose 4.2%. Load factor, a measure of plane fullness, declined to 80.7% from 81.6% as capacity increased 5.4%. Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) and Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) carried the most total and domestic fliers, respectively. AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American Airlines was the top international carrier. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International led in total passengers. Miami saw the most international fliers board. -By Mia Lamar, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-3207; mia.lamar@dowjones.com